The 1st week of September 2019 the CN and the BNSF did joint PTC interoperability testing on the Aurora Sub. The train consisted of BNSF and CN management and crews, plus both road's power. The testing went on from CN's Dubuque Yard to Galena, running via the BNSF Aurora Sub from East Dubuque to Portage, distance of 12 miles. The testing was done to allow for each railroad's PTC information to be passed along as trains pass from one railroad to another, or used when each other's units are used as a lead motor. This will allow for smoother transition between railroads on run thru power or trains. Here the train is stopped at East Dubuque waiting on river traffic. As of April 2020...the PTC only works with the 338/337 trains.
